Sarasota (26-5), known for its comeback wins all season long, mounted a pair of runs at the Longhorns, but it would not be enough.

“The stage was not too big for us,” Sarasota fifth-year coach Rob Jutras said. “We came in ready to play.”

The Sailors fell behind 8-0 in the first quarter before 5-foot-10 freshman Ja’da Bennett broke the ice on an offensive rebound off a missed shot by senior Shelby Miller with 3:26 left in the period.

Sarasota tied the game for the first time at 17-17 when Miller drained a 3-pointer midway through the second quarter.

Two free throws by junior Camille Giardina gave Sarasota a 20-17 lead before the Longhorns went on an 11-0 run to end the first half.

“The key was the last few minutes of the second quarter when they went up 28-20 on us,” Jutras said.

Harmony senior Julia Ingler stretched the lead to 11 points when she opened the third period with a 3-pointer.

Once the Longhorns took a double-digit lead, they slowed down their patient play even more in the third quarter. Harmony passed the ball 23 times on one possession before Giardina stopped the ball-handling clinic with a steal.

“We weren’t really surprised by anything they were doing,” Jutras said. “We’ve had games like that when people try to do that to us. But we’ve been able to come back.

“They were very fundamentally sound. They are a methodical team that doesn’t make many mistakes. We knew what they were going to do. They just executed better, I think.”

The Sailors launched another run in the fourth period and pulled within three points with 3:19 remaining in the game after junior Zharia Grable knocked home a 3-pointer.

“I thought the tempo would change,” Grable said. “But things didn’t turn out the way we wanted.”

Harmony senior Ragen Dotson responded to Grable’s 3-pointer with an old-fashioned three-point play, scoring on a layup, getting fouled and making the free throw, to build the lead back to 40-34.

“It was the nail in the coffin,” fourth-year Harmony coach Paul Strauch said of Dotson’s clutch play. “It made me breathe a lot easier.

“We have worked very hard for this. The preparation, effort and mental toughness of our seniors are why we are where we are.”

Harmony will play the winner of the semifinal between Palm Beach Lakes and Wekiva (Apopka) at 5:05 p.m. on Saturday to determine the Class 7A state champion.

“We are very structured,” said Ingler, who led the Longhorns with 14 points. “We play slow and smart. We use our brains. The longer we keep a team playing defense, the better it is for us.”